CHRISTMAS GIFT: Drummer finds his beat

KENNEWICK (AP) - Christmas came a month early for Abel 2 Mendez. A brand-new, five-piece Pearl drum set now sits between Mendez's Christmas tree and his television - thanks to a lot of premature Santa's helpers across the Tri-Cities.

A campaign started by Mendez's teachers in early November raised $1,655 for a drum set for the youth, a Richland High School senior born without hands or legs.

An estimated $1,017 from the fund was used to buy the drums and a stand. And Music Machine in Kennewick donated $950 for the set.

The remaining $637 is expected to go into a fund in Mendez's name to help other aspiring musicians who can't afford instruments or equipment, said Connie Carpenter, one of Music Machine's owners.

"What Abel wants to do is help out other kids who are in his situation," Carpenter said.

Mendez, who wants to become a professional drummer, now plays an hour a day on the $1,890 silver set.

"It's right next to the Christmas tree," Mendez said.

He admits to playing his new drums in his pajamas - something he couldn't do before he got his own set.

He previously practiced on his friend's drums in Connell, where Mendez and his band Simple Minded play for hours on the weekends.

Mendez, who also is a disc jockey for student radio station 88.1 FM, has had a tough time accepting the generosity of so many friends and strangers.

"It was kind of cool, but I felt like a bum looking for money," Mendez said. "But I wasn't personally looking for money."

He did have a desire to play and move beyond his physical challenges, however.

As a 12-year-old, Abel found his musical inspiration in another disabled drummer - Rick Allen of the '80s heavy-metal band Def Leppard. Allen lost his arm in a car accident but learned to play with one arm and continued with the band.

Within a year, Abel was taking drum lessons.

Abel plays the drums by wrapping Velcro straps around his arms and places the sticks through the straps. Once the sticks are secure, he begins to wail on the snare drum and cymbals.

The prosthetic devices on his legs allow him to pump on the bass pedal of the drum set.

He hasn't decided whether he will go to college or pursue a music major, but Mendez is sold on his love for the drums.

"It really doesn't matter as long as I get to play every day," Mendez said.

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